Welcome to the tropics! You arrive in Cairns and are warmly greeted by one of our staff members at the airport. This evening you will have a lively presentation taught by a marine naturalist where you learn more about how The Great Barrier Reef evolved and about how natural and human impacts are causing it stress. You also learn how Indigenous people have traditionally managed the reef, and how it’s managed today. Overnight Cairns Heritage Hotel

Meals:  L,D

This morning you are ferried to the pristine Fitzroy Island. A fringing coral reef surrounds the island, part of the inner Great Barrier Reef, providing a sheltered home for a kaleidoscope of marine life: colourful corals, parrot and lionfish, turtles, cuttle fish, rays and giant clams. Your marine naturalist gives you some background about island and reef geomorphology before reviewing use of your snorkel gear. With full use of snorkel gear for the day, you can walk right into the water to explore the magnificent reef system that surrounds the island. Your marine naturalist leads you to underwater examples of biodiversity, parasitism, and commensalism as well as examples of the reef’s most interesting features. A lunchtime mapping activity also helps students with their geography skills and to understand management strategies for the reef, both present and past. Students are led into a discussion about how the area has been traditionally managed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people for over 60,000 years, addressing topics such as sustainable fishing, use of totems and Traditional Owner stewardship. Contemporary management of the area is also looked at in detail, as well as the zoning plan released in 2003 by the Australian Government. CoralWatch Data Collection. In the afternoon you engage in an activity that addresses concerns over climate change and coral bleaching. During this exercise you find out more about how and why coral bleaches. You learn how to identify different kinds of coral, match its colours to a waterproof chart, and then record what you observe in teams of two. The data then goes back to the University of Queensland’s Coral Watch scientists, where they analyse the results over time and look for any long term trends. Your results also go into a database to track bleaching around the world, and your group receives a graph of your results. During your visit you also visit the island’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre where a collection of volunteers help save sick and injured sea turtles by looking after them until they are ready to be released back into the ocean. You return to Cairns in the afternoon. Accommodation: Cairns Heritage Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Your day begins with an air-conditioned catamaran ride to the outer Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World-Heritage site and one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. Your marine biologist presents what you are likely to see at the reef and introduces the Eye on the Reef program, which involves instruction on how to complete the Rapid Monitoring Survey. Upon arrival, you dock at a floating pontoon, and an underwater universe greets you. During a guided snorkel tour with your marine biologist, you can expect to see a rainbow of hard and soft corals, turtles, and a variety of fish species including butterfly fish, giant Maori Wrasse, parrot fish, and the ever-popular clown fish, also known as “Nemo”. Data Collection & Service: Next you receive in-water training on how to conduct the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Rapid Monitoring Survey. Your marine guide will point out key features of the reef ecosystem, answer any questions, and conduct a practice survey with group. Then during a timed snorkel session, you record your underwater findings. Your guide and waterproof slates help you identify a host of marine life and calculate benthic zone coverage. Most importantly, you look for signs of coral bleaching and coral predators which greatly affect the health of the reef. Your data is then collected and contributes to the central reporting system used by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to manage the long term sustainability of this UNESCO World Heritage area. You also have access to the underwater world by way of a semi-submarine, glass bottom boat and underwater observatory (perfect for non-swimmers). A touch tank allows your marine biologist to give you a “hands-on” experience of some marine creatures. 101 Animals of The Great Barrier Reef, written by Dr. Martin Cohen, helps you to better understand the underwater world and is yours to keep. Before the trip, we’ll also give you information about downloading an app with which you can log in sightings of reef fauna and flora and your data is then sent to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). Each student receives a certificate of participation at the end of the day. Accommodation: Cairns Heritage Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning you first learn from an expert at the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WETMA) just what makes this region so special. The Daintree Rainforest –some of the oldest continuously growing rainforest on earth. This area of the country has the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant families in the world, Australia's rarest mammal (the Murina florious bat) and 13 species of birds found nowhere else on earth. Your expert discusses climate change protected area management and how different methods are used in the Wet Tropics. You leave with insight about and appreciation of this globally significant area you are about to visit. You first head north to discover the Daintree Rainforest at Mossman Gorge, an area important to the Kuku Yalanji. Beginning with a traditional smoking ceremony, you wander rainforest paths, discovering with your guide how these Aboriginal people found their way through dense rainforest, made shelter and learned which native plants were tasty to eat. As your guide shares some of his stories, you learn how the seasons dictated life, what falls under men’s and women’s “business”, how to make fire in the rainforest and how to make fish very easy to catch. After lunch you cross the Daintree River and visit the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre, an award-winning world class interpretive facility that allows students easy access to every level of the Daintree Rainforest; from the forest floor to the upper most reaches of the canopy. Later you head to your accommodation in the heart of the rainforest at Cape Tribulation. Overnight in the Daintree Rainforest. Accommodation: Cape Trib Beach House (students sleep in 3-4 berth cabins)

Meals:  B,L,D

Waking to the sounds of the rainforest you will have some free time for pack up before departing for your journey south to Cairns and onward flights home.

Meals:  B